“Their symptoms include eye pain, aches and difficulty breathing,” Mr Mol said, adding that all of them were receiving treatment at the district hospital.

Kuch Sitha, deputy director of the provincial referral hospital, said the villagers were affected while they were farming, according to a provincial health department report.

“They were digging the land and touched the bomb in Romeas Hek district’s Korki commune, where the Cambodian Mine Action Centre has encountered and removed similar bombs. The bombs were dropped by US soldiers during the war,” he said.

They were sent to the district hospital after being exposed to the chemicals. Supplied

Mr Sitha added the villagers would be transferred to the provincial hospital if their condition worsened.

Commune clerk Kim Thoeun confirmed the villagers were from the commune, saying they had been hired to clear grass on a plot of cassava.

“While they were clearing the grass, they touched on a plastic package containing yellow powder,” he said, adding that the powder was a chemical substance used in barrel bombs.

Ms Nop, who received an injection while staying in hospital, said she was concerned about her future health following the chemical exposure.

“I don’t what it was, but after exposure, we coughed, sneezed, and some of my colleagues vomited,” she said, adding that a foul-smelling smoke had been emitted.

Ms Nop said she felt better but did not know when she would be allowed to leave the hospital.

Last year, eight villagers in Korki commune were sent to hospital after being exposed to chemical bombs. They saw metal in a paddy field and dug it out to sell as scrap, but smoke was discharged, causing them to vomit and collapse.

According to the Foreign Ministry, there are 34 locations throughout the country known to contain chemical barrel bombs.

The villagers were clearing grass from a plot of land used to farm cassava. Supplied

These include two chemical bomb sites discovered in Tbong Khmum provinces’s Choam Kravien commune, and 29 chemical bomb sites in Svay Rieng’s Korki commune located close to villagers’ homes.

The 6th Annual Tiger Street Football Festival 2018 continues this Sunday in Poipet city in what promises to be another dazzling display of intense futsal action and a fun superstar after-games party with performers and DJs.